Sinbad in Sharjah!

Sinbad—and his crew of colorful-circus-type-costume-wearing pirates—docked their red ship in Sharjah not so long ago. They sailed in search for the “Golden Pineapple”. That’s silly, of course. Why anyone should sail all the way to Arabia in pursuit of a tropical fruit is beyond me.

Here’s their basic set-up:

Photography-wise, I wasn’t happy. We spent 10 dirhams each to enter the park then another 10 dirhams for this 15-minute show, and were shown seats right across the setting sun!

Anyway…here is Sindbad’s crew:

Except for that guy with the big bad camera, of course.

There were good seats from where one could take decent photographs, but those were reserved for the royal guests. You see, this was the festival’s opening show, so the royal family was there. This also meant that the entire place was abuzz with media people. The royal family of Sharjah sat in luxurious, red and gold velvet sofas, while the rest of us settled in blue plastic chairs. They came in style, sat for barely 5 minutes during the show, then left after photographs were taken.

But some of the blue chairs reserved for the VIP-but-not-royal guests—from where I could’ve taken much better shots—remained empty and off-limits. Such a waste.

I loved this monkey character the most:

I do not, however, like the creepy-looking photographer who looked so out-of-place in the middle of the show:

Next to me sat an adorable, little Arab girl with dark brown hair and the most contagious laughter. And because of her, I enjoyed the show even more.

When I hear the name Sinbad, I intuitively begin to envisage a young man with dark hair and brown eyes, strong features, deep voice, adventurous (naturally), sturdy, heroic, robust, tenacious, rugged, brave, and funny too! Did I mention young? You know, someone who looks like this?

Lo and behold! Sinbad—in real life—is this guy in red…

I couldn’t take a close-up picture, but this Sinbad is somewhere between 55-60 years old! My dreams were shattered to a million and two pieces. I never thought Sinbad would grow old. That’s okay though; he’s only my second most favorite. Aladdin holds the top spot.

Each performer was very talented and delivered a very entertaining show. Sinbad? He conveniently just stood there on his ship with a microphone and gave orders. No stunts. Given his age, this was all he could do anyway.

They finally found the golden pineapple. The pirate who discovered it jumped off a platform 80 feet high! That was the highlight of the show.

Wow! It looks like a circus performance! Glad you enjoyed it even if it’s only for the girl’s laughter

I agree with you,the big camera was out of place.He should have been designated to a plastic blue chair instead! And I also appreciate your choice of Aladin! Hahaha! No wonder the show was a let down in that aspect! Thanks for the pics,Nadia! Loved those jump shots!